Saturday, May 16, 2009

Open Windows

It's that time of month again! The time of month when I get a free parenting magazine and ponder the strangeness of the world outside my bubble.

Item 1: An article on putting your marriage ahead of your kids. I admit, I just don't get why this is an issue. I mean, the ducklings are cute, but they're nowhere near as interesting as DOB. (Although admittedly more photogenic.) This is probably more of an issue for people with stronger maternal instincts (which I would certainly benefit from) and people who married boring men. But if I had a choice between an excellent babysitter and a day out with DOB and a day with the kids leaving DOB at home or work . . . um, no contest. (Even assuming the latter was POSSIBLE.) Of course, everybody all together seems like a pretty nice option, too.

Item 2: The usual beginning of summer article about using more sunscreen. This one finally came out and did the math: Yes, if you follow the current recommendations, you're supposed to be using an entire. bottle. of. sunscreen. every. day. (For a family of four. And there's six of us.) This includes, apparently, the days you spend inside wearing parkas. (Which will make the reapplying it every two hours a royal pain.) Does anybody, anywhere, actually do this?

I can't help but think: if the sun is really that deadly, how has the human race survived this long? Possibly related article: Your children don't need vitamin supplements--except for Vitamin D!

Until they come out with long-range studies showing that people who treat the sun as poison really live longer, healthier, happier lives, I'm going to continue with my irresponsible-mother stance of just trying to avoid burns by applying sunscreen moderately when we're going to be out longer than usual. (I wonder how much of the problem is the way people stay indoors most of the year and then go broil at the beach for a week in the summer? A couple of hours every day most of the year seems far more sensible.)

Come to think of it, I realized the author was working and always feeling like she needed to spend more time with her child. There's something to the stereotype of the stay-at-home mother desperate for adult conversation. At least it makes us eager to talk to our husbands!